


I'll See You In The Stars

by Smokeycut



Category: Batman - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Fallen Star AU, Lots and lots of dancing, Mild fantasy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 09:37:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9715694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokeycut/pseuds/Smokeycut
Summary: When she was little, Harper Row heard that wishing on a shooting star would grant wishes. When she wishes to meet a star, what will she find?





	

"Do you see that, Harper? The little light, falling from the sky? That's one of her tears." Miranda pointed up at the veil of black, dotted with bright white lights, and bounced her young daughter on her leg. The little girl gasped in awe as she watched the star rocket out of view. Without looking away, she whispered a brief question, which she already knew the answer to.

"The star girl?"

"Yes, sweet pea, the star girl. The one who dances in the night sky. You see, every night, when the sun goes to sleep and the stars come out to play, she comes with them. She dances for them all night, but some nights, when dancing isn't enough to show how she feels, she cries. That light was her tear. If you wish on a tear, she'll grant it for you." Miranda Row placed a gentle kiss on top of Harper's head, before smiling softly to herself. She loved nights like tonight, where she was able to tell her daughter the stories of the sky. They were the same stories her mother told her when she was young, and her mother before her. Her own mother would always take her out to this field on warm summer nights, lay down in the soft grass with her, and tell her stories of a dancing girl who cried wishes as they gazed into the night sky. 

Little Harper Row had heard the story a million times before, but she always loved to hear it again. She wondered how the girl found her way to the stars, and what music she danced to, and what her dance looked like, and whether or not she ever felt lonely. Every night that she saw a shooting star, she would make a wish, and every night she saw a shooting star, her wish came true, no matter how impossible. When she was five years old, Harper wished for a baby brother, and in nine months he was born. When Harper was seven years old, she wished her father would stop making her mother so sad, and soon he left the village and never came back. When she was ten years old, Harper wished for hair as pretty as the summer sky, and she woke up the next day with a head full of bright blue locks. 

Harper Row hadn't seen one of the star girl's tears since that night, but her hair had served as a reminder that their power is oh so real. Without the tears, Harper learned to make her wishes come true herself. She already knew that anything was possible, and so she worked towards those goals herself. She was fourteen when she became the town baker's apprentice. She worked as hard as she could all day and all night to master her craft, following her teacher's lessons diligently. 

"Remember, Ms. Row, never stop kneading the dough until it is time. If you stop for even a moment, it won't rise properly."

"Right. Don't stop kneading. Don't stop." Harper's focus was narrow, reserved solely for the task at hand. She mumbled those words to herself over and over as she kneaded the dough, Mr. Pennyworth watching over her shoulder to ensure she was doing it correctly. He was a kindly old man, one who always had extra sweets set aside for hungry children. In the days before festivals, he would work all night preparing treats for everyone to enjoy, free of charge. Harper began to stay with him on those nights, giving him a chance to rest his tired arms. She fell in love with the craft, and found true joy in seeing people enjoy her creations. 

She had worked under him for two years by the time she saw another tear. Harper was leaving the bakery well into the night, having just pulled the last batch of macarons from the oven. A festival celebrating the arrival of the Spring season was to be held the following night, and they had spent weeks preparing. Harper had a bag of bread slung over her shoulder, a spring in her step, and stars in her eyes as she gazed upwards on her way home. 

Out of the corner of her eye she saw it, a flash of light arcing across the night sky. A shooting star, rocketing into view. The breath was pulled from her lungs, and Harper shut her eyes tight. A million thoughts raced through her head, from excitement at seeing another tear to wondering why the stargirl was crying tonight. Was her dance painful? Was she happy or sad? Did the stars not enjoy her performance? Was she lonely? Harper didn't know what to wish for, and so she whispered the first thing that came to mind.

"I wish I could meet you."

The night was uneventful after that. Her mother and Cullen had gone to bed earlier in the night, and so Harper snacked on some bread and cheese at the table, with a single candle to light the room. She watched the flame dance as she ate, taking in the scent of the melting wax and sighing. She wondered if this wish would come true. All of the others had, but this seemed so impossible to her. Blue hair, a peaceful home, these things she could at least picture. But her? The girl in the stars? She seemed so beyond anything Harper could conceive of, and she wondered if it was a wish that could ever be granted.

When she tucked herself in that night, stomach full of food and soul full of anticipation, she found sleep welcoming. It took her quickly and offered dreams of clear skies and gentle breezes. She saw a girl dancing in the grass, laughing and singing. Her heart raced as she ran to the girl, but just as their fingers touched she was torn from her slumber. 

Harper sighed and shifted in her bed. It was light out, and she was fully rested, but something was gnawing at her, and she couldn't put her finger on it. She stared up at the ceiling until her mother called for her from downstairs. She pulled on a pair of trousers, buttoned up a simple white shirt, brushed her hair and went downstairs. The family of three ate a quick breakfast before heading into town, wondering openly what it would be like this year. When they arrived, Harper helped Mr. Pennyworth set up his stall, then helped her family set up their own. Small homemade trinkets her mother had crafted in her spare time, a hobby she shared with Cullen. Harper enjoyed herself freely that day, joking with her brother, laughing at her mother's corny jokes, and only briefly wondering if her wish from last night would come true.

Around midday, when the festival was in full swing, Harper took charge of the baker's stall while Mr. Pennyworth ducked out to see his son and grandchildren. They handled the fireworks every year, and Harper was excited to see the display they came up with this time. As the day wound down and the night came to replace it, everyone gathered in the center of town and looked to the podium that Mr. Wayne, the mayor, had set up. Harper saw her friend Tim standing with his father, matches in hand and cases of fireworks behind him. He was joined by his brothers, all four of them. But before the Waynes could light their fireworks, something came that no one could have predicted.

A meteor shower. Lights streaking through the sky, pulling the air from everyone's lungs and leaving them in a state of sheer wonder. The sky was black canvas, and the girl in the sky painted it with her tears, allowing them to cascade down to the humble little rock that Harper called home. While people of all ages were wishing on the falling stars or just enjoying their beauty, Harper's mind was elsewhere. She found the shower to be the most beautiful thing she had ever witnessed, but one question rang in her mind with a sharp tone.

Why? Why was she crying so hard, with so many tears? Had her heart been broken? Was she weeping because of her dance? These thoughts raced through her mind like the meteors up above, but all thoughts fell away when she saw the brightest star falling down. Unlike the others, it fell closer and closer, until she could pick out individual colors. Streaks of red and blue and green, gold and silver trails...

With a searing heat, the star crashed into the earth, just outside of town. Gasping, Harper pushed herself to her feet and ran in it's direction as fast as she could. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew, it was her. Her wish had come true. She would meet the girl in the stars, and she would finally have all of her questions answered. She would know the truth. Her shoes slapped against the cobblestone streets and she knew she couldn't contain her smile, so she didn't bother to try. Her excitement grew the closer she got until she was at the edge of town, looking over the short wall that divided them from the field and forest beyond them. In the distance she saw smoke and an ethereal glow, and so she picked up her pace and bolted right towards it. She hopped over the short wall, ran over to the source of the glow, and saw her.

A girl, the same age as Harper, with short black hair and a white dress. Her bodice was patterned with shining crystals, as was her tulle skirt. She was laying on the grass, pushing herself up with weak and straining arms. Harper slowed down as she approached the girl, raising her hands to show that she meant no harm. The girl looked up at Harper with tired eyes, and so Harper knelt next to her and offered a body to lean on. The girl took the offer gladly, allowing Harper to hold her, to help her stand on her own bare feet. She stumbled, nearly toppling Harper over, but managed to stay steady, or rather, steady enough. After a minute of rest, the girl tried to stand on her own once more, and this time succeeded. She looked to Harper and smiled with relief.

"Are you okay?" Harper inquired gently. The girl didn't answer with words, instead choosing to pull away from Harper and gesture at her legs, which were much more stable than they were just ten seconds ago. She was recovering rapidly, and decided to flaunt it. With a grin she spun on her toes, reaching out to Harper with an open hand when she faced her again. Before Harper could take her hand, she turned on her heel and leapt away, beginning an elegant dance. It was a dance of joy, of freedom and excitement. She leapt and twirled in silence, flinging star dust from her fingertips, and when she came to a rest, gesturing to the sky and then to the ground, Harper understood. She had danced in the sky, but now she danced here on Earth. 

"You're her. You really are the girl in the stars!" Harper gasped. "You granted my wish..."

The girl gestured to the sky once again, then opened her other hand in Harper's direction. She clasped her hands together over her own heart and mimed as though she was weeping joyfully, before gesturing to the ground once more. 

"Will you go back?" 

The girl shook her head, then smiled fondly at Harper. She couldn't go back, but she didn't mind that at all. It would be months before Harper learned that the girl had always wanted to be human. The stars merely watched her dance in silence, never telling her how they felt, but humans? Humans would tell her that they loved it or that they hated it. They would laugh or cry, but they always, _always_ showed her how they felt. But in this moment, in the field, the girl merely took Harper's hand and looked back to the village. Harper nodded in understanding and walked the girl into town, where the people were finally starting their fireworks show. Harper and the girl watched the display from a distance, enjoying it's beauty together. Bursts of reds and greens, blues and silvers, golds and violets filled the night sky, fizzling as their lights faded into the black. The girl raised her free hand over her mouth and gasped in awe, squeezing Harper's hand tighter with the other. Harper's gaze wasn't fixed on the sky, however. She only had eyes for the unnamed girl, taking in her beauty and feeling as though her heart was about to burst like the fireworks up above. She kissed the girl on the cheek, turning away and whistling innocently when the girl looked at her. The girl simply smiled and returned the favor before looking to the crowd assembled in the town square. 

"C'mon. I'll introduce you to them, if you want," Harper offered. The girl nodded eagerly, and followed her into the crowd. 

She didn't explain to anyone who the girl was, merely introducing her as a new friend, a traveler from a long way off. The girl shook some people's hands and hugged others, dancing for a select few. It was a night of new experiences for her, a whole new world opening up and welcoming her into it's arms. That night she went home with Harper's family, and was offered Harper's bed to sleep in. Harper pulled a blanket and pillow to the floor for herself, but she could barely contain her excitement. Both girls entered the realm of dreams with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts, eagerly anticipating the coming days. 

On the second day, they disclosed the girl's origin to Miranda and Cullen, and then to the mayor and his family, with a request that the girl be allowed to stay it town as a permanent resident. Mr. Wayne went a step beyond, offering to take the girl into his own home and adopt her, like he had with his sons. 

On the third day, the girl chose a name for herself. Cassandra. She danced with joy once more, heart and soul bursting with love for her new life. 

On the fourth day, Cassandra ran to the bakery to visit Harper, as she had done every day before. But this time, rather than buying a loaf of bread, she stole a kiss. 

Every day after that, Cassandra lived. She danced and laughed, kissed and loved, but most of all, she _lived_. Cassandra Wayne danced among the stars, but now she lived among humans, and it was all she ever dreamed of. She could no longer grant wishes, but she finally had her own desires fulfilled. And so at night, she watched the stars with Harper, seeing them as humans saw them, with an ethereal beauty. And at night, Harper watched Cassandra, an ethereal beauty in human form.


End file.
